For all the talk about gasoline volatility and dwindling fuel margins, there's no shortage of mega-retailers looking to fillup on fuel profits. Alongside traditional hypermarketers like Wal-Mart, Costco and BJ's, is a new breed of operators hoping to cash in on America's growing fuel demand. This includes the nation's largest home improvement retailer, Home Depot,

The concept of tomorrow is being offered today. A CSD Staff Report For convenience store retailers, cashiers embody both the assets and the liabilities of running a cash-intensive business. Cashiers provide the face and the feel for store operations, but also the risk from cash and cash handling in the form of both internal and

Even at 25,000 stores, SUBWAY co-founder Fred DeLuca says there is plenty of room for the business to grow. By Jay Gordon, Editorial Director Fred DeLuca never intended to be a one-store wonder. “From the beginning we had a goal to open 32 stores in 10 years,” says DeLuca of the partnership he began with

Hamburger chain gains entry into the c-store industry through co-branded restaurants and frozen foods. By John Lofstock, Editor White Castle might not be a household name in the convenience store and petroleum industry right now, but give it a few more years and it might become the next brand customers crave. The Columbus, Ohio-based hamburger

A study by the NACS/Coca-Cola Leadership Council urges marketers to understand the range of categories purchased by the 14- to 20-year-old demographic. By Bill Bishop, founder and president of Willard Bishop, and Martha Russell, founder and managing partner of Clickin Research One of the most compelling things about teen shopping at convenience stores is that

I am working at my dining room table one morning in late February when I overhear a remarkable conversation taking place in the kitchen. Our two youngest kids, ages five and eight, are eating breakfast when suddenly the youngest, Jake, pipes up. "My cereal has whole grain," he announces to his sister. He can't read

The sandwich business is driving foodservice profits at Love’s Travel Centers. By John Lofstock, Editor Serving thousands of foodservice customers a day requires more than having the right location. It demands a commitment to service and quality and, most importantly, products customers want. “Foodservice is the biggest component of our business and SUBWAY is an

Dozens of retailers made their way to the WPMA trade show in Las Vegas for three days of golf, grub and business. By Ross Markman, Retail Relations Editor Cruising the trade show floor at the Las Vegas Mirage Events Center on a recent February afternoon, Larry Clinkenbeard was on the prowl for a new food

Joe Lewis Global Supply Chain Manager Chevron It's as if Joe Lewis was preparing to be a global supply chain manager for a multinational oil company his entire life. Why wouldn't any red-blooded American kid salivate over the idea of working in key markets throughout North America, Asia and Africa? Lewis started working in grocery

The Xpress foodservice program is creating sales opportunities not previously addressed by other food concepts. By John Lofstock, Editor Faced with mounting competition from fast-food operators, along with razor-thin fuel and tobacco margins, Paul Dirnberger knew the heat was on to develop a foodservice program that met customers’ demands for a quality offering that is

Kwik Stop’s foodservice growth centers on Piccadilly Pizza. By John Lofstock, Editor It’s a circus atmosphere at eight of Kwik Stop’s 20 convenience stores and it has nothing to do with juggling clowns, a unicycle or the big top. Instead, what’s entertaining Kwik Stop’s customers at all three dayparts is Piccadilly Circus Pizza, the flagship

Foodservice equipment-which once put the industry at a disadvantage when it came to speed and labor-now makes it possible for retailers to expand menus, reduce costs and increase food sales. By Ross Markman, Retail Relations Editor Charlie Roesch remembers his childhood in the 1950s the town of Buffalo, N.Y., dotted with slaughterhouses, the boxes of

When you first think about hiring employees for foodservice, do you assume that applicants with previous experience serving food would be preferable to those who've never made a sandwich? If so, you're looking for the wrong thing, says two important players in the convenience store foodservice arena. High energy, a love of multi-tasking and good

Measuring customers’ lifestyle attitudes can help you make profitable decisions. A CSD Staff Report The employees of a bank branch office in Austin, Texas only have one choice when they’re in a rush for lunch the convenience store across the street. That’s bad news for their health. “I’m pretty much limited to sandwiches and juice,

Two experienced ’foodies’ share insights into what retailers need to do to get from here to there in the foodservice business. By Jay Gordon, Editorial Director Foodservice can be a significant differentiator for convenience retailers. It can elevate a good c-store offer and make it a great one, even a destination. But what specific strategies

Foodservice: Branded vs. Unbranded BrandedKent Cummings, President, Cummings Oil Co. After looking at several foodservice options and trying our own proprietary concepts, we decided to partner with Hot Stuff Foods. We chose a national brand for a number of reasons,including: National brands have proven systems. When we implemented our Hot Stuff program we didn’t have

It takes more than great food to stand out from the competition. By Mark Mayberry Your customers can go a million places to eat. It may be difficult to stand out from the competition, but it’s certainly not impossible. While in St. Paul, Minn., recently, I saw a couple of signs that helped set two

Growing up in New York City few things are as natural to me as eating out. Even now with my second child on the way, a minimum of two meals a day are eaten at a restaurant or convenience store near wherever the day's business takes me. The kitchen table is more of a convenient

RCC Holdings is tapping into Chester’s potential in the Southwest. By John Lofstock, Editor Mark Rose is particular when it comes to choosing his foodservice partners. So when he saw a steady stream of customers at a Chester’s counter operated by one of his competitors, he realized he had just found his new fast-food brand.

Convenience Store Decisions celebrates its first annual Reader's Choice Awards issue by recognizing the Top Performers in two dozen categories and subcategories. The awards are a significant milestone for CSD as we move forward with our commitment to helping convenience store marketers find the solutions they need to grow profitability. The Reader's Choice Awards are

Irving Oil fights backIrving Oil Ltd. (Saint John, New Brunswick) said it "will vigorouslydefend" a class-action lawsuit alleging that the chain overcharged consumerson fuel taxes in 2004. The suit was filed in February by Option Consommateurs,a Canadian nonprofit group. "We have received the legal papers and we are inthe process of reviewing them," Irving Oil

Premium products driving the moist smokeless tobacco business, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco says. An influx of deep-discount products is forcing retailers to change the way they merchandise moist smokeless tobacco (MST) products and experts are concerned that these changes are adversely affecting moist smokeless profitability. As the deep-discount segment has grown in volume, it is compressing

Motivated by the growing deep-discount price segment of moist smokeless tobacco, Fas Mart is using premium products to drive volume and maintain store profitability. Since the late 90s convenience store retailers have experienced the rapid expansion of a deep-discount price segment, often referred to as the sub-price value segment, in the moist smokeless tobacco category.

The carwash has matured from an ancillary service to a major profit center that could easily exist on its own. Matthew Jadali has it all figured out. Operating his third different Mobil location in the past dozen years, like most convenience store owners, he’s doggedly battling the deterioration of gas margins. His weapon of choice:

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